An additional 234 square miles in Tulare and Kern counties in California have been placed under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) following the detection of three psyllids near Exeter, Lemon Cove and the unincorporated area southeast of Porterville.

This brings the total quarantined area in the region to 888 square miles.

Pre-harvest treatment intervals were also changed from seven to 10 days based on University of California recommendations.

The most recent Tulare County finds led to expanded ACP quarantine zones that stretch north into Fresno County, and now south into extreme northern Kern County.

The quarantine zone expanded approximately 197 square miles in Tulare County in the Exeter and Lemon Cove areas and in the unincorporated area southeast of Porterville. The detection in the Porterville area also expanded that quarantine area into Kern County by approximately 37 square miles. These areas are in addition to the previously announced quarantine areas in Tulare and Kern Counties. The expanded quarantine areas are shown in the “Tulare” and “Tulare/Kern” maps available online at www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/acp-quarantine-sjv.

In addition to the quarantines in areas and nearby portions of Fresno County, ACP quarantines are in place in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.

The ACP is an invasive species of grave concern since it can carry the disease Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. All citrus and closely related species are susceptible hosts for both the insect and the disease. There is no cure once a tree is infected.

HLB has been detected once in California – last year on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights in Los Angeles County. HLB is present in Mexico and parts of the southern U.S. Florida first detected the pest in 1998 and the disease in 2005, and the two have been detected in all 30 citrus-producing counties in the state. The University of Florida estimates the disease is responsible for than 6,600 lost jobs, $1.3 billion in lost revenue to growers and $3.6 billion in lost economic activity. The disease is present in Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas. The states of Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, and Mississippi have detected the pest but not the disease.

Residents with backyard citrus trees in the quarantine area are asked to not remove fruit from the area. Residents who may find Asian citrus psyllids are urged to call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. For more information on the Asian citrus psyllid and HLB disease go online to www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/acp.